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Belle
'Belle '''is one of the two main protagonists from Disney's 1991 animated feature film, ''Beauty and the Beast. She later returns to star in both of the film's direct-to-video sequels; Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas in 1997 and'' Belle's Magical World'' in 1998. Belle is a bookish young woman who sacrificed her own freedom to save her father's life at a castle ruled by a cruel prince-turned-beast. While there, she restored love and laughter to his selfish heart, in turn, falling in love with him, and saving him from a lifetime of beastliness. In all film appearances, Belle's speaking and singing voices were provided by American actress and singer Paige O'Hara. In 1994, American actress and singer Susan Egan originated the live role of Belle in the Broadway rendition of Beauty and the Beast. In 2007, the role was finalized by Disney Channel actress and singer Anneliese van der Pol. Appearance and Personality Physical Appearance Belle is a beautiful young woman of French heritage in her late-teens or early-twenties. She has long brown hair (most often tied back in a low ponytail), large hazel eyes, flowery-pink lips, and a rosy-fair complexion. According to several townsfolk in her village (including her vain suitor, Gaston) Belle is the most beautiful girl in town, although she never seems to acknowledge this. In fact, she seems quite unaware of it. Personality Belle is a clever and intellectual young woman. Due to her love of books, Belle possesses a wide vocabulary (which she has no problem using) and an active imagination. Although she's considered extremely beautiful by practically everyone she encounters, Belle appears to be ignorant of her own beauty, and pays little attention to her own appearance. Ironically, however, Belle is quite aware of the fact that several members of her village consider her strange because her passion for reading, but she often pretends to not be greatly affected by this. Belle is also brave, adventurous, stubborn and outspoken. Unlike most female individuals of her time, Belle always speaks her mind freely and straightforwardly. A feminist, Belle refuses to be underestimated or mistreated by others simply because she is a girl, and believes that both men and women play equal roles in society. Sometimes, Belle's curious nature and active imagination get her into trouble, but she always uses knowledge, common sense, and intuition to to solve her problems in the end. In contrast to most Beauty and the Beast characters, Belle doesn't judge others by appearances, and always looks inside their hearts to see who they really are. It is Belle's pure and accepting nature that eventually free the Beast from his curse. Background Information Origin Belle is moderately based upon the main female protagonist from the classic French fairy tale, La Belle et la ''Bête'', by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. In the original fairy tale, Belle (or "Beauty" depending on the version) is the youngest, most beautiful, and kind-hearted daughter of a formerly rich merchant. Having asked her father to bring her back a rose on his way home from a business excursion, the merchant attempts to snip one from the garden of a castle, having taken shelter there the previous night. However, the merchant is spotted and apprehended by the castle's master, who reveals himself to be a hideous Beast. The Beast threatens to kill the merchant, but after hearing of his good intentions, orders the man to bring him his youngest daughter in return for his life. Heartbroken, the merchant agrees, and upon returning home, reveals the news to Belle, who willingly goes with him to the castle, where she is welcomed by the Beast. During her stay at the castle, the Beast treats Belle with immense kindness, each night proposing to her, but she refuses. Belle remains at the castle for a lengthy period of time, but eventually grows homesick. At last, she begs the Beast to let her return home to see her family. The Beast gives her leave with the stern promise that she will return to him in a week, and she agrees. Initially, Belle intends to, but after hearing the feigned pleas of her jealous sisters to not return to the Beast, she remains another day. Soon, Belle grows guilty of having broken her promise, and instantly returns to the castle, where she finds the Beast dying of a broken heart. Belle aplogizes to the dying Beast and says she loves him, which breaks the spell, and the Beast transforms back into his true form; a handsome prince. Finally, Belle agrees to marry him, and the two live happily ever after. Design Belle's supervising animator was James Baxter. Being the main protagonist of Beauty and the Beast, Belle's design changed the most out of all the characters . Directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise wanted Belle, a French native, to have a distinct European look, so they purposely drew her with a larger and more angular eye shape, fuller lips, and more profound facial features, giving her an overall mature and sophisticated appearance. According to Paige O'Hara, the actress who played Belle, Belle looked ''too ''perfect during early production, a cross between Liz Taylor and Angelina Jolie. So, while keeping her beauty and femininity, the animators, specifically James Baxter, and screenwriter Linda Woolverton, re-designed her to make her look less perfect and more identifiable, while further pushing the bookworm aspect of her personality. Throughout the film, Belle tends to constantly walk on her toes. According to producer Don Hahn, this is no coincidence. In fact, he and a team of animators made frequent trips to professional ballet studios to study the dancers. They later incorporated the dancers' movements into Belle's walking pattern, giving her a subtle sense of regality and elegance. Directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise wanted Belle to stand out easily in a crowd, especially during the film's opening number, "Belle". So, while the other villagers wear rustic and earthy colours such as red, brown, organge, and green, Belle is purposely costumed in bright blue, making her easily recognizable as she maneuvers through the crowd (while reading a ''blue ''book). This further emphasizes the fact that Belle is seen as "peculiar" throughout her village. Actress and model Sherri Stoner served as the live-action reference for animating Belle. Songs Beauty and the Beast *Belle - Belle (Paige O'Hara), Gaston (Richard White), Chorus *Belle (Reprise) - Belle (O'Hara) *Something There - Belle (O'Hara), Beast (Robby Benson), Lumiere (Jerry Orbach), Mrs. Potts (Angela Lansbury), Cogsworth (David Odgen Stiers) Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas *Stories - Belle (Paige O'Hara) *As Long As There's Christmas - Belle (O'Hara), Lumiere (Jerry Orbach), Cogsworth (David Odgen Stiers), Mrs. Potts (Angela Lansbury), Chorus *As Long As There's Christmas (Reprise) - Belle (O'Hara), Angelique (Bernadette Peters) *A Cut Above the Rest - Cogsworth (Odgen Stiers), Lumiere (Orbach), Belle (O'Hara) Belle's Magical World *Listen With out Hearts - Belle (Paige O'Hara) *A Little Thought - Belle (O'Hara) Broadway *Belle *No Matter What *Belle (Reprise) *Home *Something There *A Change in Me Category:Singing Heroines Category:Disney princesses Category:Animated Heroines